by William Lafferty » October 30, 2017, 5:46 pm
This one has puzzled me for some time. As far as I can tell it is one of five box distribution boats built in 1942 by Spedden Shipbuilding Corporation at Baltimore for the Army, L 68-72. At some point it was turned over to the Navy and renamed C 5970. It had been the Tina Marie brought to the lakes in about 1970 by William Behrendt of Sheffield, Ohio. Alan Johnson of Avon, Ohio, obtained it as part of his Ajax Company marine construction outfit that brought it into domestic registry in 1982. He and Behrendt may have been partners. Ajax had continual problems with creditors and the government. The tug sank in the Old River Bed at Cleveland on 9 November 1980 and the Corps of Engineers had to remove it. Ajax went under and the tug was sold at an auction at G & W Industries in October 1985 to Ron Yanega of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, who also owned the well-travelled Mavret H. After that it drifted to Gradel, when, I don't know, maybe 1996. I think I heard it was named for Mark Gradel's daughter, Amber, with the thought of turning it into a pleasure boat. It left documentation in September 2006. That's all I know, and that ain't much. Here it is being raised by the Corps, 15 November 1980.
- Attachments
-
This one has puzzled me for some time. As far as I can tell it is one of five box distribution boats built in 1942 by Spedden Shipbuilding Corporation at Baltimore for the Army, [i]L 68-72[/i]. At some point it was turned over to the Navy and renamed [i]C 5970[/i]. It had been the [i]Tina Marie[/i] brought to the lakes in about 1970 by William Behrendt of Sheffield, Ohio. Alan Johnson of Avon, Ohio, obtained it as part of his Ajax Company marine construction outfit that brought it into domestic registry in 1982. He and Behrendt may have been partners. Ajax had continual problems with creditors and the government. The tug sank in the Old River Bed at Cleveland on 9 November 1980 and the Corps of Engineers had to remove it. Ajax went under and the tug was sold at an auction at G & W Industries in October 1985 to Ron Yanega of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, who also owned the well-travelled [i]Mavret H[/i]. After that it drifted to Gradel, when, I don't know, maybe 1996. I think I heard it was named for Mark Gradel's daughter, Amber, with the thought of turning it into a pleasure boat. It left documentation in September 2006. That's all I know, and that ain't much. Here it is being raised by the Corps, 15 November 1980.